1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Kayak Deck Pack for a Kayak, and more particularly to a Kayak Deck Pack that sits attached to the kayak deck directly in front of the paddler allowing the kayaker easy access to items within the pack via a rear facing zipper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Kayaks have long been a method of transportation and hunting and have recently become an important recreational activity. There is now a growing interest in ocean going kayaks, sea kayaks, whitewater kayaks and river touring kayaks. In all of these modern used of the kayak there are a number of items which the kayaker desires to take along with him in his kayak and the kayaker needs to securely store these items in a location with easy access. Generally a kayaker wears a lifevest, which by Coast Guard rules does not come equipped with pockets suitable for carrying various items; moreover, even if pockets were provided, they would not be suitable for bulky items. Also, the storage of bulky items on the kayaker's upper body would severely interfere with his handling and paddling of the kayak.
A kayaker wears a spray skirt, whose purpose is to keep water out of the inside of the kayak, around his waist. When the kayaker sits in the cockpit of the kayak he attaches the spray skirt around a coaming which surrounds the top of the cockpit, thus forming a water seal between his torso and the kayak deck. There is some room in the cockpit to store items; however, access to these items would require that the spray skirt be disconnected, which would result in water getting into the cockpit. Once this occurs the cockpit would require bailing and, in the meantime, the kayak would suffer a severe loss of maneuverability and could even capsize causing considerable danger to the kayaker. Storage of items in the cockpit also eliminates some free space in the cockpit and could cause entrapment of the kayaker, which could be fatal in the event of the kayak capsizing. Another problem with storing items in the spray skirt is that two hands are required to reposition the spray skirt on the coaming. The skirt must be hooked under the coaming in back of the kayaker, then stretched toward the front, using elbows to keep it from popping off as it is drawn tight. It usually needs to be seated in the coaming groove on the sides to ensure a proper seal. During this repositioning the paddle must be "parked" under deck rigging in front of the kayaker. The time spent with the paddle not in hand is especially dangerous for the kayaker, because during this time the paddle cannot be used for what is known as a "brace" stroke, which is the first line defense against capsizing.
The current way in which these difficulties are overcome is to store the items in waterproof bags which are stuffed under the deck rigging which is immediately in front of the kayaker. The "deck rigging" consists of criss crosses of elastic bungee cord that are attached to deck loops on the deck of the kayak. There are generally 6 deck loops on the front deck arranged in a rectangle with deck loops on each corner of the rectangle and deck loops half way along the length of the rectangle which is in the same direction as the length of the kayak. The method of securing items with the deck loops and the bungee cords is to attach a waterproof bag via a cord to a deck loop and then to tuck the waterproof bag under a criss cross of the bungee cord. Another purpose of the bungee cords is to enable the kayaker to tuck one tip of the kayak paddle under the bungee cord while he attends to some other matter.
There are a number of disadvantages associated with stuffing waterproof bags under bungee cords. The first problem is that the items under the bungee cords could slip around and extend into space required for paddling by the kayaker. Another disadvantage of stuffing itens under the bungee cords is that the irregularity of these items could impede the flow of air and water over the kayak deck making maneuverability of the kayak more difficult. Finally the items under the bungee cords could impede the kayaker from temporarily stowing a paddle under one set of the deck rigging. Generally the kayaker would use the forward set of deck rigging to hold the paddle and, while putting the paddle under the forward deck rigging, the items stored under the rear set of bungee cord deck rigging could be disloged by the paddle.
There is a need for a kayak deck pack which solves the foregoing problems. Examples of several types of storage compartments for canoes are in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,172,974, 3,958,289, 4,398,488, and 4,593,642. Both canoes and kayaks have a common drawback in that they are small boats with little storage area. From the references for storage compartments in canoes, it is clear that a kayak deck pack is desirable and necessary. Accordingly, improvements in kayak deck packs will be very valuable and desirable in the recreation field of kayaking. Also it would be valuable and desirable to have a kayak deck pack that has features that make it easier and safer to access than the current methods described above.